


The Uchiha Family Murders

by celestial_panda



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character Death, Kakashi is a billionaire, M/M, Murder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Sukea makes an appearance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-10-30 10:28:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17826908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestial_panda/pseuds/celestial_panda
Summary: The Uchiha Family Massacre makes the news, after all it happens during Christmas. The murderers are caught and years go by, the world seems to forget about it. Holding onto too many secrets can lead to your world crumbling around you, at least that's what Umino Iruka is about to find out.





	1. Aloof

**Author's Note:**

> Deals with difficult subject matter: Character death, murder, assassination, violence, dark themes.

** Chapter one: Aloof **

**Wednesday**

Hatake Kakashi was an exceptionally well known man, the head of Fangs Incorporated, a CEO known for his debonair charm, coldness and exceptional intelligence. Except Iruka had a hard time believe that, because no one had ever seen Kakashi’s face. It was as if the man was impossible to catch- no photographs, no face to face, only his voice. He had a great sounding voice, Iruka would give him that much, but honestly he really didn’t understand why the other was receiving such high praise for his looks. Afterall, Iruka had heard of him, but he’d never had a chance to really gather information until he’d confiscated his student’s magazine. Really an article on a man, without a photo- there was something rather strange about this.

“Iruka-sensei.” A familiar voice called out to him and so he proceeded to close the magazine he was reading, since it was giving him a headache anyways. Iruka’s gaze moved so that he could be sure that he was right about who had called his name.

“Hello Naruto-chan. What are you doing here?” He was happy to see the blonde, but it was an odd thing to see the other today as they hadn’t planned anything.  
“We should get some Ramen- Ichiraku’s- just the two of us- no Sasuke- no Itachi-”

Iruka couldn’t help but feel as if his face showed his honest confusion. Naruto was great friends with Sasuke and by default he got along pretty well with everyone. It was highly suspicious that the other wanted to have dinner with him alone. Iruka shook his head but acquiesced, regardless.

“Alright, let me grab my things.”

He heard the resounding ‘yes’ from Naruto and he couldn’t help but smile. He had been Naruto’s teacher, and now they were friends. It was an odd turn of events. In fact he had been shocked that after Naruto’s High School graduation to receive a letter exclaiming that he’d been the only teacher to really have faith in him. Of course Iruka had faith in Naruto, after all he had spent the majority of his school years getting in trouble, and if it weren’t for a judge believing in him, Iruka might have ended up in prison.  He had been breaking into cars to survive, but that really didn’t matter in the eyes of the law. He understood Naruto, growing up without parents/losing them at such a young age. They both could have turned out for the worse, but someone believed in them.

Iruka had been getting a bit lost in his thoughts as per usual, but it seemed that Naruto was too busy thinking about which Ramen combo he was going to get this time to notice. He’d grabbed all his things, and gently placed a hand on the other’s shoulder.

“Ready to go Naruto?” His voice was soft and he hoped that it would convey that he knew the other had something important on his mind.  
“Of course! Let’s go, sensei.”

It was endearing the way Naruto still called him sensei, and Iruka couldn’t help but smile as they walked down to the ramen shop and Naruto went on and on about a video game that he couldn’t seem to beat. Iruka didn’t mind, Naruto was a bright ray of sunshine in his life, and he was more than happy to admit that even though their hobbies were different, they were family now. They always seemed to be lucky when they went to Ichiraku’s- maybe it was because Naruto was their biggest customer, but they always got seated in the back, were they could talk and enjoy the ramen.

“Are you going to tell me what Itachi and Sasuke did or are we ignoring that for now?”

He knew he had a smile on his face, and by the looks on Naruto’s face, he knew the blonde haired boy was feeling rather annoyed by his mentioning of the two names. Iruka saw the momentary relief on the other’s face as the waitress approached and the both of them placed their order. Iruka never ate as much as Naruto- well on some occasions he did, but he preferred not to enter into a food coma after eating.

“Itachi forgot his phone at my place- you know that time we had hot pot? Well he called using Sasuke’s phone to ask me to drop it off for him. Which that’s fine I was going to do that anyways- but he told me to open it and see if he’d missed any important meeting emails- Because you know him and Sasuke were on a family vacation to visit their parent’s graves up in the mountain-“

Iruka sat quietly, his eyes looking at Naruto’s face, as the boy tried to explain everything at once, seldom taking a breath. Sasuke was a pillar in Naruto’s life, his eternal best friend/rival. They had an odd dynamic but it was always fun to watch. Itachi was the big brother Naruto always wanted, and Iruka had seen how well the brothers treated him. Itachi always trying to one-up Sasuke just for fun. Which meant that Naruto’s birthdays were always a sight to behold. But the Uchiha had a tragic background and that was most likely why they gravitated towards Naruto. Naruto had lost his parents due to a burglary gone wrong- Iruka knew in the back of his mind that Naruto had seen the man shoot his parents, thankfully that man was behind bars now and for life. The worse part of that story was how they had found out after the burlglary that Naruto’s family had only been targeted because the killer thought Naruto was evil and deserved it. It was absolutely heartbreaking, and that had taken a while for them to work through with Naruto.

The Uchiha’s story was worse, and Iruka knew that Itachi had sheltered all the blame. The Uchiha were an affluent family, old money, and yet humble. It didn’t take a genius to know they were wealthy, not because of bragging, again they were a humble, quiet type, most of the time. Only because they sent their children to the best schools- people took notice. Itachi had been a bright eyed naïve child, Iruka hadn’t known him then but he had heard the stories. Naïve enough to answer two strangers questions, and then on a Christmas, Iruka was sure no one could forget, most of the Uchiha’s were butchered, execution style. The killers went away empty handed, because as stated before the Uchiha’s had been humble, and had had barely anything of value in the house. Itachi had survived 3 bullet wounds and Sasuke still had a scar on his shoulder. Iruka knew that Sasuke didn’t blame Itachi, but Itachi’s self-hatred was sometimes still evident. Now they were billionaires, but they still lived a moderately humble life- that’s how Sasuke ended up at the same High School as Naruto. There always seemed to be a part of the story that the Uchiha’s didn’t speak of, and he wouldn’t pry.

“So I looked into this phone and told him he had three emails from a guy called Kisame, or whatever- Anyways Itachi was like can you check my calendar too- and I was like alright, what privacy anyways? So that’s when I saw it… Iruka-sensei, Itachi wants to marry Sasuke off and Sasuke knew! They kept that from me, like I thought we were family, what bullshit!”

Suddenly it was quiet, and he watched Naruto slurp down his Ramen angrily, the sadness it hid wasn’t lost on Iruka. Uchiha’s always had arranged marriages, at least once a generation and unfortunately with so little of them left, it just meant that Sasuke had been the unlucky chosen one.

“It’s a tradition Naruto…” A tradition that even if Iruka despised, he knew would exist until the end of the Uchiha line.  
“I know that- but it just sucks you know… Why did it have to be Sasuke?”

There was an unspoken confession in those words, one he wasn’t sure Naruto had meant to let him in on. So he kept quiet, simply eating his ramen. This time he knew that he couldn’t say anything comforting, and that was something he’d be regretful for this evening. They had parted ways after that, and Iruka knew the other was a little bummed out. He did the only thing he could think of, and took his phone to text Sasuke. _Can we talk the three of us, without Naruto?_ He was going to suggest something a little bit crazy but hopefully it would solve the worse of this issue. The issue being Naruto’s broken heart. When his phone buzzed not soon after with a simple: _Yes, Monday, 6pm, your house._ He knew Itachi had written that, and he knew that it was going to be a long week before Monday came along.

Iruka wasn’t rich, sometimes he felt kind of poor, but he was middle-class. He lived in a tiny studio apartment, looking out into a forest- which was pretty typical for Konoha, a city well regarded for its urban jungle vibe. Basically a city in the middle of a forest, but he liked it here. He didn’t need much, he was alone most of the time and it was easier to keep clean because he was working long hours anyways. He had always wanted a dog but he knew that was a dream for when he retired. It wouldn’t have been fair to keep a dog if he couldn’t spend much time with them. Again his thoughts had gotten away from him and he needed to concentrate in order to grade the stack of papers he had in his lap. He must have been coming down with something, he wasn’t usually this lost in thought.

**Friday**

“Alright everyone have a great weekend, and I’ll see you all Tuesday. Don’t forget that the school is closed on Monday.”

He heard the cheers from his students and couldn’t help but roll his eyes. It might have been a day off for the kids but he still had to be here and do lesson preparations. At least he sort of got the summers off- he said sort of, most of that time was used for more lesson preparations. He sighed, and started grabbing his things, this was what he had chosen and he loved it, even when all he did was work.

“I was hoping you’d be in better mood today, _Sensei_.”

Iruka recognized the voice immediately, a small smile reaching his lips as he turned around, his things in his hands.

“I was never your sensei, Itachi. I thought you’d only be back Monday.” It was odd that the other had shown up ahead of time, out of character even, Itachi was a methodical man, who didn’t often deviate from plans, so it was odd to say the least.  
“You’re breaking my heart, _sensei_. We came back early, at the request of my younger brother.” It made much more sense that it was at Sasuke’s behest, since Itachi could never say no to Sasuke. It made Iruka smile, he wondered if sometimes Sasuke used it to his advantage, probably.  
“Quick get some glue, we have to fix your heart- I’m guessing I’m getting a ride to my home?”

The younger male smiled, and both of them laughed for a few moments. Iruka knew that Itachi and Sasuke saw him as some sort of stabilizing figure, an uncle-type, and so he treated them justly. They both walked quietly to the car, where Iruka noticed the familiar shag of dark hair waiting in the back. He got into the car and turn to say hello to Sasuke, as he put his seatbelt on. The other ‘hn’ed’ and he chuckled, he’d missed these two. The drive to his house was quick, Itachi drove like he was a race car driver, and it was amazing none of them were dead.

“You need your licence confiscated.”  He spoke as he held onto his chest, feeling like he needed to feel his feet on the ground that had been terrifying.  
“You need to live a little.” It was said with such nonchalance that he in that exact moment wondered if Itachi’s master plan in life was for all of them to die in a fiery death crash.  
“A little hard to do if we die in a burning crash, Itachi.”

Iruka spoke in a teasing manner, and he heard Itachi laugh a little, Sasuke shaking his head as they walked up the steps into his studio apartment. Once they were seated at his table, with a cup of tea in each of their hands Iruka knew it was now or never.

“I’m honestly surprised you both failed to mention to Naruto that Sasuke was getting the proverbial arranged marriage coin tossed at him.”

He saw the look on both their faces and then it was quiet for a few moments as everyone drank their tea, almost as if no one really wanted to address the elephant in the room. So Iruka continued on, he figured it was as good of a time as ever.

“I mean, me, personally I understand the principle behind it- however you hurt Naruto’s feelings. He’s your best friend… If anyone should have known, it should have been him. I knew there was a chance Sasuke would be the one, even you Itachi, since there’s only four of you-“  
“Five….” It was spoken so casually that he had to pause- how was there five remaining Uchiha’s?  
“Five?”  
“Itachi, me, Obito, Madara, and Kakashi.”  
“Hatake Kakashi is an Uchiha?”  
“His mother was our aunt… so yes…”

Iruka let himself be stumped for a moment. The mysterious Hatake Kakashi, CEO billionaire, was a distant Uchiha? That was something entirely surprising. Albeit not much was known about Hatake, but, who would have known that he was related to the Uchiha’s… Iruka thought that was interesting.

“No one’s ever seen his face.” He mused out loud, even though he wasn’t exactly expect an answer, he was surprised when Itachi spoke:  
“He did take a bullet to the face…”

He sucked in a breath, oh god. That could only mean that Hatake Kakashi had been there the night the Uchiha massacre had happened. He’d survived a bullet to the face, and all anyone could talk about was that he was handsome and had money. Also how could anyone know he was handsome, if no one had seen his face? Everyone was an idiot, but Iruka would bet on his own life that that man was as lonely as the rest of them but that no one cared, well except the Uchiha brother’s maybe. Maybe Iruka had a weird help the tragic orphan problem, but he felt compelled to want to help. However it would be somewhat weird to ask and so he kept quiet.

“He’s okay Iruka-sensei… we keep an eye on him.” Iruka hadn’t doubted that for a moment, and he could only smile softly at Sasuke for trying to reassure him.  
“Besides he’s a billionaire in his own right. Iruka, if anything our uncle is someone we’re really proud of.” He supposed Itachi was right, if anything Hatake Kakashi was a self-made billionaire, who seemed to be doing well, possibly, who knew? But he must have been some kind of Hero to the brothers. To survive that, meant he was something else.  
“He should come to our parties.” He had spoken before he could stop himself, and Iruka could only shrug. If Hatake Kakashi was an Uchiha, he was always welcome to join the parties.

He watched as the two Uchiha’s looked at each other exchanging a small, but happy smile. Iruka had won this round, and now he was adding another misfit to his little family. Well one could only hope. Iruka wanted to have a big family, and since he had been alone for a long time, he was thankful that life had sent him Naruto, Itachi and Sasuke.

“He’d probably like that.”  
“Good that’s settled… Now about the Sasuke thing; look I know I can’t change what’s going to happen, but fix it with Naruto, now.”

Oh great, he had used his so-called mom voice. He hated when he used his mom voice, because when he used his mom voice he always got a response of;

“Yes mom.”  
“Ugh.”

The three of them laughed, before taking the time to catch up. Before long the tea in his hand had gone cold and they were on his couch watching an action comedy movie, watching as the time flew by and they all fell asleep.

**Saturday**

Iruka vaguely remembered falling asleep on the couch the three of them just huddled together watching something. That’s why when he woke up feeling like his arms were dead weight he knew the two were still using him as a pillow. In moments like these he really felt like a mom. He was careful when trying to get up but he was stuck.

“Earth to the two strongest people I know, I would like a coffee and to make breakfast.”

That earned him a groan and he was released from the vice grip. Iruka was stiff as a board, and slightly sore from sleeping on a miniscule couch with three people. They were all worse than children, yes he included himself. He almost waddled to the kitchen, starting up a pot of coffee, before he got to work; he was making breakfast for three, before any of them had a chance to even complain. Itachi was roused by the smell of coffee, and Iruka didn’t even have the chance to complain before the other was drinking his cup. Shaking his head he simply went ahead and poured himself a new cup.

“It’s probably too sweet for you.”

It was a statement, he knew Itachi preferred black coffee, but as Itachi’s eyes narrowed he drank down the coffee, like it was a lifeline. Iruka might have been wrong, maybe Itachi just lived on coffee, and would then just take it however it was offered.

“It’s fine.”

Iruka heard the mumbled words, as he set down a plate of food for Itachi, urging him to eat up.

“I only need the coffee-” As if that was something that Iruka would allow. He put on the mom voice again to make his point before he spoke:  
“You’ll be eating breakfast.”

That was when he noticed Sasuke, plopping himself down next to Itachi. Iruka watched as the other held his hand out, and Iruka shook his head, before putting the new cup of coffee he’d made himself into Sasuke’s hands.

“Cavemen the both of you.”

He received a slight smile as both of them ate their breakfast without much protest. He found himself alone, quietly humming as he cleaned up after both of the Uchiha’s had left. He had looked at Sasuke and told him that he needed to fix what was going on, which had been accepted with a nod. Now that everything was done, he had only one thing left to do: everything else. He hated the week-ends sometimes. Always trying to catch up on chores, stupid things like buying food. Why did he need to eat to live? He wished he was a plant who could live via photosynthesis.

“Do you live with eight people?”

It was a question he knew was directed at him. His eyes found the voice that was speaking to him and he was caught off guard by the man standing in front of him with only a small basket in his arms.

“More like 3 rift rafts who eat for seven.”

That comment seemed to earn him a smile and the other man offered out his hand. Iruka was confused but felt compelled to shake the hand. Had anyone ever shaken someone’s hand in a grocery store? Was this something that happened outside of movies, odd?

“My name’s Sukea.”  
“Iruka.”

If someone had said, today is the day you’ll make a friend in the supermarket, Iruka would have laughed in their faces. Surprisingly Sukea was a nice person. He had helped Iruka get all his groceries back to his place, and then they had parted ways, not before exchanging numbers. He couldn’t believe he had made a friend, it was a pretty good Saturday. He had promised Sukea they could have diner together, and so they’d be meeting up later that night.

“What- a guy gave you his number and you’re having diner… sensei… that’s a date.”  
“It is not a date, Naruto.”

Being on the phone with Naruto while he unpacked groceries was a bad idea. Especially since he’d almost dropped some things on the floor at the declaration.

“He thought you were so attractive that he hit you up in a supermarket, sensei… that’s a date.”  
“Naruto… people can hang out with people without it being a date.”  
“Sensei… he brought you home…”  
“It’s not a date. I have to go, I have paper’s to grade.”  
“Alright, have fun on your date, sensei.”  
“It’s not a-”

Exasperation is the emotional state in which he was finding himself. Sukea was just a friendly neighborhood man who had asked to hang out- he was a teacher it was hard to make friends, it wasn’t a date right?

**Saturday Night**

“I hope this is fine.”

They were in a hotpot restaurant, so of course it was fine, Iruka really liked hot pot. Both of them were in normal clothing, and this didn’t feel like a date at all, Naruto had been wrong, and thank goodness. He wasn’t exactly in the prime dating mindset, after all he had an Uchiha set up marriage to break up. Did he mention he was going to make sure Sasuke wasn’t forced to marry as per the tradition? Well yeah he was going to do that- well try at least.

“I enjoy hotpot, so yes this is great. So why exactly did you approach me Sukea?”

Iruka wasn’t a complete fool, and by the sheepish look on Sukea’s face he knew there was something going on. He had known it wasn’t a date, but after talking with Naruto he was sure something was going on. No one just approached someone at the supermarket for no reason. Although he was sure Sukea wasn’t planning to murder him he was skeptical of being approached.

“I’ll be working with you starting Monday. I’m the new substitute literature professor. I recognized your face from the pictures hanging in the hall, I figured might as well make a friend, before I start working. Get some info… that stuff.”

It all made sense, the teacher who taught literature had gotten injured while playing golf. Took a ball straight to the head and was now suffering from a concussion. The principal had announced that some new part-time staff would take over just for the end of the semester, before summer vacation. So it was just a nervous teacher who was trying to make friends, they sounded like they could be buddies.

“Welcome aboard… I’m sure we’ll be friends.” He meant that, he truly did, there was a sense of kinship that felt too normal not to accept.

They spent 2 hours just eating hot pot and talking about things. Iruka was surprised to find out that Sukea was from the same mountain village as the Uchiha’s. In fact that meant that Sukea was a long way from home. The fact was stunning and Iruka wondered why the other had come such a long way just to be a substitute literature teacher.

“I really like teaching, and this was the only thing I could get.” That had to be a lie, Iruka had a hard time believing that.  
“That sounds like a lie.” Maybe he could have worded that a little bit better, but Sukea seemed to smile.  
“It’s my first teaching job…” That sounded like an even bigger lie, however Iruka wasn’t going to push it too much. They didn’t know each other well enough for that.  
“Oh… well congratulations. Are you sure you want to do this?”

The stunned looked on Sukea’s face made Iruka laugh. He still enjoyed teasing people about the ‘dangers’ of teaching. Both of them had had a good time, at least he’d hoped so. He’d come out of it with a new friend and a new colleague, at least he hoped. He couldn’t deny that it was a strange happenstance but he was happy anyway. More often than not Iruka played the motherly role in his friends lives, he secretly hoped that this time he’d just be a friend to someone. People might have found his outlook in life kind of surprising but Iruka cherished the friendships he had, even when he played the parental figure. However, sometimes it got draining to be the one fixing everything and everyone, but to be clear he loved all his friends so much. He just wanted someone to listen to him a little more this time. He really hoped Sukea could be that person.

**Tuesday**

He was going to murder someone, preferably whatever demon child had dropped ink on him from the classroom door. His clothing was stained black and so was his hair. It was going to take him days to get his hair back to a brown color, thank goodness it hadn’t stained his skin, and all because he was wearing gloves and a face cover for his science class. If it had been any other time, oh the hell that would have been raised.

“I almost didn’t recognize you.”  
“Sukea…”

He turned and saw the other man watching him with a curious glance. After all he was in the teacher’s lounge trying to wash Ink out of a shirt. Honestly it was a moment in which he was more than happy to have a spare change of clothes. 

“Black hair… shirt… oh that’s a bad prank, too bothersome.”

He gave a dejected sigh before he continued to work on cleaning his shirt.

“I can’t blame them, I was the devil as a kid.”  
“They’re high schoolers.”  
“I set my principle’s car on fire.”  
“Touché.”

This is absolutely not how Iruka wanted Sukea to find out about his past mischief, misdemeanors…. His day was just getting worse and worse. However that’s when Iruka heard Sukea start to laugh. It made him frown, because now he was being laughed at.

“I’m sorry, sensei. You just… don’t seem like the type who set their principal’s car on fire, so I let myself imagine you in a leather jacket, aviator sunglasses, and a cigarette hanging from your mouth as you poured gasoline on a car-”  
“You hit the nail on the head.”

Silence. Total and utter silence. Sukea had described the awful memory so perfectly. He had been barely fifteen years old, really into leather, and smoking cigarettes. Those things tasted awful, even then. He had bought gasoline, jumped onto the hood and let it pour. As it was being coated he had made his way off the car, and lit a cigarette. A spark, combustion and a bang, the car was on fire. It had partially singed his eyebrows off and that’s the day he met the judge that had changed his life. Never again was he going to do something that reckless.

“Do you want to grab diner?”

Was the last thing he expected to hear coming from Sukea’s mouth, except when he turned his gaze on the other man he saw something in his eyes that looked like a spark of interest. Iruka turned his gaze back to the shirt he was washing, wringing it out as dry as he could. That Iruka still lived inside of him, sure, but he wasn’t on a path of destruction. He wondered if Sukea thought that Iruka was some type of gangster at night, who dealt in illegal things.

“I’m not a delinquent anymore.”  
“And I’m always late.”  
“You were 15 minutes late this morning and made it just in time before the students started leaving.”  
“Precisely.” It was nice that the other believed him, sometimes people couldn’t get passed his delinquent past.  
“Let me grab my things, we can go to Ichiraku’s.”

So there he was sitting with Sukea, wondering just who this man was, and wondering if Aloof, was the right word to describe him. There was just something about him that Iruka didn’t understand, couldn’t grasp. Albeit it had only been a few days since they had met, Iruka’s intuition was blasting a horn in his head. Who in the world gets a spark in their eye when they hear that in a past life you set a car on fire?


	2. Behavior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umino Iruka is just a high school teacher. Hatake Kakashi is the CEO of a billion dollar company. What the hell could they have in common? The Uchiha brothers is what.

** Chapter 2: Behavior  **

“Iruka-sensei!”

Naruto was undeniably loud for a Thursday morning. Speaking of which he’d wondered if the other had made up with the Uchiha’s yet.

“Good Morning, Naruto.”

Actually now that he was thinking about it, he wasn’t sure why Naruto had called late the night before to ask if he could meet him before his day started. At least they were at a coffee shop.  
The blonde haired boy seemed to be fidgeting in his seat, before he looked like he was about to burst into a million pieces.

“Itachi said he was sorry and Sasuke called me a moron…. Thanks Iruka-sensei.”

Iruka wasn’t going to pretend to understand how Sasuke calling Naruto a moron was in any way shape or form an apology but he would just go with it. After all maybe he was missing a part of the story, just maybe he wasn’t being told everything and that was alright.

“That’s good, right?”  
“Mhmm, so Iruka-sensei, what have you been up to?”  
“I’ve been grading papers, the end of the semester is coming and I owe my students their papers.”  
“Uh-huh… Are you busy right now?”  
“I’m sitting right here with you, Naruto.”  
“Good!”

He had went home after that awkward conversation with Naruto. He sometimes realized just how different their lives were becoming, how their paths were diverging. He didn’t feel like he was losing his family, but it really felt like he was a parental figure who was starting to have to let go. It’s not as if he was that old, and the age gaps between him and his chosen family weren’t that big. It’s was just the way the tide was shifting. Iruka was becoming more and more of an adult, and he was more often than not worried that they’d grow out of touch with each other. He had known Naruto had been up to something, from the way the conversation they had, had processed, but he hadn’t expected the Uchiha’s to have broken into his home. He wanted to ask them what they were doing there but he could tell by what was going on as they held his suitcase in his hands.

“No, we are not doing this. I cannot go on vacation right before the end of the semester!”  
“It’s more like a family reunion anyways.”

Iruka couldn’t believe it, okay he could believe it, but just because they were, and he quotes, rich didn’t mean they could ‘politely’ ask his boss for a week off. It was right before the end of the semester. He was going to kill all three of them when he managed to get free from the restraints. He was being taken against his will to an impromptu vacation/family reunion to Suna. He nurtured these boys, he cared for them, but if they thought for even a second that he would allow this to happen without repercussions, they were dead wrong.

It was almost as if they couldn’t see the failings in their own plans. Iruka was a reliable teacher, he couldn’t just bend to the whims of life. It was ridiculous- and now he was creating a monologue inside his own head.  Why did his family have to be so gun-ho about things like this. Sure Iruka wanted to have a vacation just as much as they but he had responsibilities and he had made his choice to be a teacher. He had long vacation times they could have waited for, and honestly it made him annoyed, because it’s almost as if they forgot how much it meant to him. Besides this was a flesh and blood Uchiha reunion, he felt out of place.

“Don’t you want to know who I’m marrying?”

Iruka was rubbing his thighs, a glare plastered on his face, as he watched Sasuke.

“I do- but seriously did you have to kidnap me and tie me up?”  
“Yes.” A resounding three voice mimic, and they didn’t even look as if they were guilty of anything.

He couldn’t help but sigh, well at least he would be able to drop by and say hello to Gaara, an unofficial official member of his little family. He and his siblings were an odd case. Gaara’s family, not his siblings, had been charged with attempted murder. Apparently they had thought Gaara was possessed by a demon and that the only way to save his soul was to murder him. They had sent the three to Konoha to protect them until the end of the trial. Iruka had noticed right away that Gaara had been struggling immensely with the reality that his own family wanted him dead. He had coerced Naruto into speaking with the boy. Sometimes you needed to speak to someone who understood, not someone who pretended they did. Gaara was doing great now, the youngest elected Mayor of Suna, and he was well loved, he really cared.

“Honestly guys, why come all the way to Suna for a reunion when all of you live in Konoha?”

It was an honest question and he was after all curious. Suna was known as the city in the middle of the desert. It was beautiful, tropical in a no tree’s kind of way, but it was after all an oasis in the middle of nowhere. He was glad he’d be able to see Gaara, but this was not where he wanted to vacation, also a weird place to have a reunion.

“It’s far enough so that Kakashi can walk around and show his face.”

He had to admit that he had not been expecting that as an answer. So he was going to see Hatake Kakashi’s face, and be one of the few who had. That seemed like a lot of unnecessary pressure, for both of them. He was sure it took a lot of strength for Kakashi to show his face to a stranger, and it felt oddly personal. Iruka didn’t feel as if he’d earned that right, and that was a strange place to be in. Why would he show him?

“That’s… honestly a little frightening. I feel like I’m invading someone’s privacy.” His eyes glanced around the room, and he saw a bit of a shrug go through the three before Itachi spoke up.  
“We told our uncle that you were a really trust worthy person and how much we care, and that you’re unofficially an Uchiha anyways, and he seemed satisfied.”  
“Plus Madara and Obito like you, which is difficult, and so since they vouched for you, you’re all set.”

He knew Sasuke and Itachi meant well, but it was a strange feeling. Madara Uchiha had been the sternest most traditional Uchiha, Iruka had ever met. He loved all Uchiha’s, but Madara was not an angel, he had seemed to mellow down after the massacre, but there was always something about him that just felt unresolved, as if he was waiting for something. Iruka didn’t like being the one to judge others, he wasn’t a saint, but Madara was consumed by vengeance and Iruka worried he would snap someday. As bad as it was, he was thankful Madara was elderly now, he hoped that would prevent him from doing anything rash.

Obitio however was a 30-something year old with a point to make. He had been the one to identify the killers in court, and had provided an astoundingly detailed testimony. It surprised no one when he ended up becoming a lawyer. There were rumours that he worked for Hatake Kakashi from time to time, and well with the added information that they were related it made a lot of sense. Obito was married to a girl named Rin, and she was lovely, but sometimes he wondered if Madara was too much of an influence on Obito, and that was worrisome. Obito was kind and it showed in his eyes, but sometimes he seemed like he could also be dangerously cruel. Iruka didn’t want to judge, but some people didn’t come out of trauma well.

“Iruka, can you accompany me for a walk?”

Itachi’s voice was steady but Iruka knew him well enough to know that there was a conversation he wanted to have in which the other two were not invited. Naruto and Sasuke seemed to shrug it off, and announced they were going to get something to eat. Iruka waved them off, as everyone went their separate ways.

“You were right, Sasuke shouldn’t be the one getting married. I’ll try to convince everyone to choose me, instead.” Iruka was a little shocked, but also confused, because he hadn’t said that Sasuke shouldn’t be the one getting married, he had only said that they needed to apologize to Naruto. Even thought he had plans to break this thing off himself, he hadn’t expect this from Itachi.

“What exactly makes Sasuke the chosen one? What are the rules of engagement?”

Itachi was quiet for a few moments as they walked side by side down the sand covered streets. Iruka was asking Itachi to divulge some very personal Uchiha information. He knew for a fact that those who were chosen didn’t even know why, so he was asking for something incredibly private.

“It doesn’t make us Uchiha’s look great… but the usual equation is someone who is trustworthy and without remaining family. Sasuke is single and that’s just the unlucky draw of the hat.”

That was interesting information, but there seemed to be a flaw. How could all Uchiha’s find someone that was without family, and was trustworthy? What about the family members that weren’t set-up for marriage, did the rules still apply to them? Wouldn’t that make it more and more complex?

“That just seems impossible.”  
“And yet… every Uchiha has managed to marry within those rules.”

Itachi seemed morose and exhausted by the thought and it made Iruka wonder- was that even possible? Were there that many people without families, who would willingly put themselves in those kinds of situations?

 “The reason it doesn’t make us look great is…”

The hesitation was clear as day in the other’s voice, a strain and perhaps regret, and now Iruka wondered if he was going to unleash a secret that laid buried for years.

“Uchiha’s make deals with good families, should they happen upon death, the last remaining member of the family, must then wed an Uchiha. Most don’t complain- we have money, we have clout….”

Honestly Iruka was kind of shocked that it wasn’t the other way around. He had heard of families who only married between branches of their own families, which was a little weird to him, but this was the complete opposite.

“What the odds that all of them loose their families, except the ones we wanted?”

It sent a chill down his spine, and Iruka couldn’t help but stare at Itachi. That was an ominous way of casually, potentially, implicating your family in murder. Was that really the legacy of the Uchiha, Iruka didn’t want to think so, and the only one who could confirm it would be Madara… Madara was not a reliable narrator, and now Iruka was left wondering if Itachi had been lied to. Death was rampant in their lives, but this seemed to be beyond his own imagination.

“That seems impossible.”    
“And yet it’s the truth Iruka. I know you don’t trust Madara, but Kakashi will tell you the truth. Everything about us is a lie, and in the end we paid for the choices others brought onto us.”

Kakashi would tell him the truth, it seemed like he had more and more reasons to meet the other and now he didn’t want to. If that was the truth, Itachi was burdened with a horrible hardship that even he wouldn’t have wished on his worst enemy. If it was a lie, then was Itachi okay? Was he trying to cope by giving a senseless death a reason? It made his head and his heart hurt. Regardless of the answer, Itachi needed his help, and that was something Iruka was going to invest in.

**Friday**

Today was the day Umino Iruka was going to meet Hatake Kakashi. How odd of a first meeting was this going to become. Hi, yes hello, your nephew said your family use to murder the family of the people they wanted to have an Uchiha marry, is this true? Not the best first time conversation to have with someone you had barely met. What if the answer was no? Iruka was more worried about the possibility that Itachi was going through a really bad coping strategy, what would he need to do then? He was making himself nauseous just thinking about it. There was no good outcome to this conversation.

“Iruka-sensei meet Hatake Kakashi.”

If he had the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes that man would have been dead. Because there was no way in hell that that was Kakashi. The man standing in front of him was Sukea, well Sukea with a giant scar going down his eye, and yes his eyes were an odd red that all Uchiha’s had, but, no Iruka wasn’t blind, that was Sukea.

“Fancy seeing you here, sensei!” Did he want to fight because that’s what it felt like the other was trying to instigate. Greeting him as if his cover hadn’t been blown to smithereens.  
“When I met you, you told me your name was Sukea.”  
“Kakashi… are you still parading around dressed up as Sukea so you can be a ‘teacher’.”  
“I got a teaching job.” He kept his eyes on the other’s face, did everyone just casually know about this?  
“I didn’t mean to throw you for a loop- I had no idea who you were.”  
“Liar.” He heard Itachi from the back of the room and he was certain that his whole body twitched.  
“I saw your picture, I swear however it was not intentional.”

He was starting to think that the Uchiha’s were going to be a pain in his ass. In what world did someone just up and created a persona for himself. Also how good was he at makeup so that the scar on the left side of his face would completely cease to show in his other person? Well it wasn’t another person it was just a costume- but why did a billionaire need to pretend to be a teacher? A substitute teacher at that! He had money, he didn’t need to pretend, Iruka was sure he could just teach if he wanted to. How many people wouldn’t have loved to take a class from a successful man who survived death? It just seemed illogical and impractical. Iruka was really started to understand that he had no idea what drove the Uchiha’s to do what they did, and now he wondered if their behaviors were a product of murder.


	3. Cruelty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth always comes out, and sometimes the truth is a confusing lie.

** Chapter 3: Cruelty **

It was unfortunate that the answer to his dreaded question was that Uchiha Itachi was telling a version of the truth. He had almost wanted to cry when Kakashi had explained what Itachi had left out. Iruka knew Kakashi had been trying to be positive and explain that the practice had died out with Madara, but that meant there was years and even decades of murder behind the name. Iruka had also not been shocked to find out that the Uchiha’s responsible for these things were about to have to stand trial, but then the massacre happened. Kakashi had speculated that it was retaliation from distant relatives of those affected but that seemed like an even bigger nightmare. He couldn’t judge the remaining living Uchiha’s for what had been done by the ones who were no longer alive, but it was gut wrenching. Besides Iruka knew more than he was letting on.

That’s why Iruka had decided that no matter what he was going to support his weird odd family members, and that since they had only been unfortunate progeny he wouldn’t hold it against anyone. It was however a sobering truth about the kind of life Madara had lived, and what he had witness. Iruka had always thought him a villain, but he had stopped an archaic family practice and enforced the dissolution. Everyone had feared him but he had been the one to save them from themselves. Except it had been too late, and now Iruka understood the hidden emotions in Madara’s eyes, it was pain, the pain of failure.

He was laying down on the hotel bed, everyone had gone out to eat but he was not feeling the greatest right now. He was being a hypocrite, an unreliable narrator. He had already known about everything the Uchiha’s had disclosed to him. He had been in that court room when the motion to prosecute the Uchiha’s had passed. The Uchiha’s family had taken everything away from him, his mother, his father, everyone. Umino Iruka was the last of his family, the sole survivor and the one that Uchiha’s had chosen. He had allowed himself to be bitter about it for years, cursing their name, but then he had met Uchiha Sasuke and that’s when he knew they were just as much of a victim as he was. They could never find out that Iruka was a victim of their name, since that was not a burden that he was willing to give them.

“You know, keeping the door unlocked is a very delinquent come at me, move.”  
“I’m not scared of that.”

It was true, he wasn’t scared of anyone coming into his room, he wasn’t afraid someone would try to harm him, Iruka was stronger than he looked.

“What brings you here Kakashi?”  
“Can we make a deal?”

He had come to learn a few things about Hatake Kakashi that were going to seem too obvious; he really was a handsome man, regardless of the scar on his face, it suited him in a strange and sad way. Kakashi was not as talkative as Sukea, but he did love teaching, a weird passion he found out about when he volunteered with young children, right before he made it big. His hair was a silvery-white, turned that color from the shocking events he endured; Sukea’s hair was the color that Kakashi’s hair had formerly been, which shockingly was brown and not black. But most importantly, Hatake Kakashi was undeniably Iruka’s type.

“What kind of deal?”  
“You continue to pretend that I’m Sukea at school and I don’t tell every Uchiha alive that you suffered because of us.”

Were his ears ringing or was that because he felt like he was about to pass out. How did Kakashi know he was a victim of the Uchiha’s? Why did he bring it up only when they were alone? Did he think Iruka was planning some strange final revenge and this was just a weird cat and mouse game? He couldn’t help but slowly lift his head to catch the other’s gaze, emotionless. That was the unfortunate trait that attracted Iruka to Kakashi, he could not read the other’s emotion and that just made him oh so much more interesting.

“How do you know about that?”  
“I too was in the witness stand.”

Oh, oh no, now it made even more sense. The brown haired Uchiha, of course it was Kakashi- a teenager at that point surely, he was meeker and obviously devastated- Iruka remembered him, but it hadn’t clicked. Two people, deeply affected by the Uchiha name, in utterly different ways.

“I don’t blame any of you…”  
“I know… Do we have a deal.”  
“Sure.”

What else was he supposed to say, he hadn’t been planning on outing Sukea and now he had even more reasons to protect Kakashi. That’s right that’s what he said, Kakashi, Itachi, Sasuke, were all his family now and he was going to make sure they were happy. It didn’t matter that it probably made no sense to anyone else, but Iruka knew they were just as hurt as him, just as fragile as him and had lost just as much. Because if Madara had been the one to stop the practice, which meant that the brother’s parents had been innocent, and that meant they had lost just as much.

“Wait a minute! Itachi said, Sasuke was just unlucky- did… you guys start doing that again?” Kakashi was shaking his head but there was something in his eyes that just seemed off.  
“No…” Kakashi looked like he was debating asking if he could sit so Iruka patted the bed motioning for him to sit. He was too comfortable to get up and this conversation made him a little uneasy. So when Kakashi was sitting, and the quiet was growing in the room he wondered if he should speak first. But he didn’t and he waited for Kakashi to continue.   
“Madara proposed a candidate he deemed worthy of marriage… as the eldest Uchiha he blesses all Unions… Sasuke was okay with the match, but I think Itachi was thrown back into…”

Kakashi didn’t have to say it, Iruka knew the implication. Madara had most likely proposed someone who still matched the criteria and so it threw Itachi into a spiral of traumatic flashback.

“You just said Sasuke agreed.”  
“He did… it’s a good match, technically”  
“Technically?”  
“Naruto is an Uzumaki…. That’s good family.”  
“Yes Naruto is an Uzumaki but what- oh, OH??? Is that why I’m here?”  
“I guess I ruined the surprise.”

He could not believe his ears, or his life at this point. Madara had actually suggested that, as a match? That man was too smart, if he’d noticed something that even Iruka had taken a while to see. Now it explained why Sasuke had called Naruto a moron and he had just went on with it. His two odd-ball sons were going to get married, they could stop secretly dating now at least. They were adults, finally going off and getting things started, but it made Iruka feel really lonely and old. It was a hard wall to hit in a hotel room with a guy he kind of barely knew.

“I heard they were both arguing on whose father you’d be standing in for.”

Iruka knew Kakashi meant well, but it made Iruka’s heart swell, and he feel sad. He should have been happy to be the choice for stand in father, it meant a lot to him but, inadvertently it meant just maybe that he’d have to regretfully decline both. He had never imagined that this would be how his life would turn out. That’s unfortunately when the tears starting falling from his eyes and he couldn’t help but let it happen.

“I didn’t think that would make you sad Iruka.”  
“I’m happy and sad. I love those two with all my heart, but it’s complicated.”

Emotions are complicated, and they don’t always follow a logical path. The truth was that Iruka couldn’t accept, not when he was being such a hypocrite, not when he was still hiding so much. So much more than just the murder of his family, and that’s why he was crying. Iruka knew they couldn’t find out and because he couldn’t tell anyone, he wouldn’t be allowed to say yes in good faith. He really hadn’t thought this trough completely. When the truth came out, would they call him cruel? Would they hate him? Would he be left alone again? Iruka didn’t want to find out.

“Please leave, Kakashi.”  
“I’m fine right here.”  
“I’d rather if you left.”  
“Can’t do that, you see I have suddenly become paralyzed by your beauty and now I can’t move.”  
“Idiot.”  
“But you smiled.”

He had smiled, and that was his fault, but Kakashi was too persistent and much too intelligent. He knew without a doubt that that man would figure out all his lies too quickly and frankly that was more terrifying that anything else. After all, Kakashi was just his type and at the end of this he knew he was being cruel.


	4. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka finds out just how wrong he is, when it comes to everything.

** Chapter 4: Destiny **

“I think you never actually got over your trauma.”  
“Seriously, we’re trying to pick flowers Kakashi, not psychoanalyze me.”  
“You cried in my arms for an hour, Iruka.”

He turned to face the other man, a handful of white gardenias in his arms, he hoped his facial expression would convey just how much he didn’t want to have this conversation in a flower shop.

“You said we weren’t going to speak about it!”  
“Did I say that, must have acquired temporary amnesia.”

Iruka was infuriated, he knew he looked calm, but he was beyond furious. Hatake Kakashi was a thorn in his back. It felt as if after Iruka’s tearful situation in the hotel room, Kakashi had become overly preoccupied by him. Almost as if he was something that needed fixing. It was driving Iruka up the wall, the other was showing up at his house, and walking him back from work as if that was just a thing they did now. Sure Iruka wanted to make a friend, he didn’t want to adopt a puppy. Because that’s exactly what Kakashi felt like, a puppy, and Iruka was too nice to shoo him away. You hear that stray dogs of Konoha, Iruka’s one weakness is dogs. Even though Kakashi reminded him more of a domesticated wolf, up to something, dangerous but also amazingly breathtaking. Why did he have to be that handsome? Why couldn’t Iruka just drop kick the other in the face? Why did they have to plan this wedding together?

“Pick some flowers Kakashi.”  
“I like the ones you have in your arms, I’d like to see you surrounded by them, nak-”

He threw the flowers in Kakashi’s face, he was tempted to beat the other man up with them, but unfortunately they were moderately expensive. In the matter of a week, it felt like they had super charged their interactions and it was scary, terrifying, but natural. He knew Kakashi was just teasing him. It had started after the sorrowful exchange, Kakashi had convinced Iruka to come out and go to the restaurant so that the week could get back on track. He had arrived at the restaurant and had seen how no one had ordered anything other than drinks, they had been waiting for him. It still made him feel warm now, as he thought about it. They had ordered food, and then Naruto had blurted out that Sasuke and he were getting married. He had congratulated both of them, and it was as if a tension had lifted out of the room. After that, Obito had ordered shots for the two newly engaged couple and Naruto in a fit of absolute drunkenness had proclaimed for all who could hear that:

“It’s a shame you’re still Single, Iruka! I know let’s set you up with-”  
“its fine Naruto, you don’t have to-”  
“I know! I know, has to be a gay, a guy, you’re gay!!”

That scene was still haunting him, especially right now. It’s not exactly how he had imagined that his sexuality would be announced to the world, but it was fine, he wasn’t ashamed. However, Kakashi had zoned in like a hungry wolf, and had been teasing him incessantly for the past week. It was all in good fun, until they were in public, which was embarrassing and inappropriate, he was a teacher for crying out loud. Kakashi might have had no qualms about jokingly flirting with him, and it had made them closer, but Iruka was not about to let that go on for too long. Kakashi was too much and yet so frustrating that Iruka was questioning his own sanity. 

So now here they were, both of them assigned to picking out the flowers. Apparently Kakashi was a real flower enthusiast, because he had vetoed all of Iruka’s picks so far. Apparently each flower had a meaning and Kakashi had explained that as much as the choices Iruka were making were aesthetically pleasing the meaning behind them were, not coming off too well.

“What do Gardenias mean?”  
“Secret love, I think it’s ironically apt for this wedding.”  
“It is… huh… They looked nice too.”  
“Like I said, good choice.”

Iruka knew he didn’t just want one flower, he wanted at least another, and out of the corner of his eyes he had spotted one.

“How about this one!”  
“Lily of the valley, and some Gardenias… a secret love that has made my life complete… That’s… beautiful.”

He had to agree with Kakashi, that if that was the meaning of the flowers when they came together, they were perfect for describing Naruto and Sasuke’s journey thus far. Plus he really liked them together and that had to count for something right?  
  
“Then we’re set, we should order these.”

He nodded mostly to himself as he made his way to speak with the florist. He had noticed Kakashi go back to look for more flowers, but he was certain this was enough so he paid him no mind. He couldn’t believe that flowers cost that much money and that it was okay to spend that much on something that would wilt and die. Even though Kakashi had said that was what made them beautiful, Iruka was feeling price shock, and he wasn’t even the one paying for them. They were about to part ways for the day and so Iruka had turned to speak to the other when a bouquet of flowers was placed in his arms.

“Who are these for?” He had to ask, after all why was Kakashi giving him flowers.  
“You obviously.”  
“What kind of flowers are these?” They were not flowers he had ever seen before.  
“They’re called Stock flowers.”  
“That’s not what I was asking Kakashi.”

The other had simply shrugged and walked away from him. So that’s the game they were playing now. Iruka had to figure out what these flowers meant, because it appeared Kakashi wasn’t interested in telling him. What if they were being used to convey that Kakashi was about to reveal his secret? Oh no, he really had to figure out what these flowers meant. He was already too far away from the florist to ask, and everything had started closing now. As he watched Kakashi’s retreated back he frowned. Why was everything so complicated?

Iruka had to admit that the flowers looked nice in the vase he had put them in, however he really didn’t know what the meaning behind them meant.

“Iruka-sensei!!!! Open the door.”

He recognized Sasuke’s voice immediately, and he thought it sounded out of pace with his usually quiet demeanor. He managed to only crack open the door, before Sasuke pushed himself into the apartment. Iruka didn’t even have a second to blink before the younger boy was moving to sit down on his sofa. Sighing he closed the door, locking it, as he glanced as the slumped Uchiha on his couch. Moving to sit beside the other he stayed quiet. Could he and Naruto have gotten in a squabble, it wasn’t often that Sasuke came to him on his own. Was Naruto going to knock on his door at any minute?

“I know the truth, Iruka-sensei.”

The words, whether intentional or not felt like cold water being poured on his back. It was such a vague announcement, Iruka had nothing to worry about, right? Sasuke was most likely not talking about him at all, right?

“Why didn’t you tell me…? I don’t think even Itachi knows… sensei… why are you hiding that?”

He had to be very careful with his next words, it was not the time for him to get into a fight with one of his favorite people in the world.

“Hiding what Sasuke?” He knew his voice had come out soft, and maybe strained. He was terrified, that in this moment he was going to face the truth that he had always hidden away.

“The Uchiha’s are the reason your family is dead! I asked Madara, and he said that it was true, that your family are the last victims… That… you lost everything because of us. So I was digging around- it’s Itachi they wanted you to marry right?”

It felt like all the air in his lungs had left him, and as if everything had started crumbling around him. How was he going to explain this, how was he going to explain what he and Uchiha Madara had sworn to never speak of?

“Madara told me, Iruka… He told me that when Itachi was born, our parents didn’t want to participate, and it had already started dying as a tradition, but some… older uncles thought that it should continue… they made the contract and had your family killed. When Madara found out he-”  
“I know what he did Sasuke, and-”  
“And yet you still don’t trust him.”  
“I don’t distrust him, but I know what he’s capable of…”  
“He protected you.”  
“He killed for me too.”

This is why he couldn’t trust Uchiha Madara, why he had always doubted him, why he was frightening. He hadn’t ratted out his own family members to the police, he had executed them like cattle. Madara might have been living with the pain of failure, but what if Iruka became a living reminder of regret. Would he kill him off too? Uchiha Madara was unpredictable, and it made Iruka feel like his own feelings were unreliable. Yes the other had protected him, they had come to finish him off, he had been just a child, and Madara had stopped them. He was the sole witness, the sole survivor, because after the massacre, well he was the only one left who knew the truth.

“Itachi needs to know.”  
“No he does not.”  
“Yes he does, Iruka.”  
“It would kill him.”  
“You think it’s not already- sensei… why do you think he hates himself so much?”

Iruka had been afraid that Itachi knew about the reason behind the last known Uchiha murder, marriage contract. How devastating could it be to someone to find out that people had died for you to have a spouse? It put Iruka in a dangerous spot, if on the one hand Iruka found out, Itachi could be overjoyed or thrown into despair. It wasn’t exactly something he was willing to tempt faith about.

“Sasuke you have to listen to the words I’m saying right now, Itachi can never find out.”  
“Why are you always trying to protect us? Were the ones who’ve destroyed your life, yet-”  
“No, Sasuke, you’re not responsible for the actions of others.”  
“How can you not hate us?”  
“I would hate myself more if I had blamed innocent victims for something they didn’t do.”   
“Madara is dying.”

That was not something he had expect to hear come out of Sasuke’s mouth. In fact it’s almost as if Iruka had never believed that Madara could die, Madara was immortalized as the personification of strength. Yet he was dying.

“Before you ask, its cancer, its terminal. He could pass at any time. He says it’s ironic that he would die this way, zapped of strength and useless… Everyone is slipping away from us, are you going to leave too?”

Of course Sasuke was worried that Iruka would one day leave him. He sincerely didn’t understand how Iruka couldn’t put the blame on them. Sasuke couldn’t separate the act from his name, and it seemed Itachi couldn’t separate himself from the guilt. Had every single one of them been only hanging on by a thread and no one had managed to notice? Now he wondered if Madara had told anyone else, or if Sasuke would be the next one to carry the burden of truth. He wished now that there was a way for him to ease Sasuke’s worries. The boy was getting married, he didn’t need to know about this. The secret Iruka carried should have followed him to his grave, but now Sasuke knew.

It had been a long night, after Sasuke had left, Iruka hadn’t slept. He had only starred at the wall, his mind blank, empty and yet filled with sorrow. This was not a burden that anyone should have had to carry, and yet it was almost as if destiny didn’t like him being happy.


	5. Expiry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umino Iruka is just a high school teacher. Hatake Kakashi is the CEO of a billion dollar company. What the hell could they have in common? The Uchiha brothers is what.

** Chapter 5: Expiry **

Uchiha Madara was dead. The Uchiha’s had not needed or deserved another tragedy in their lives. The loss of Madara was incomprehensible and even Iruka felt burdened with the emptiness. He might have felt even guiltier, because the funeral had been almost void of visitors. Was someone’s legacy only defined by the number of people who remembered them fondly? It was a difficult question to answer, and it was an even more complicated occurring event.

“I’m surprised you’re here, thankful, but surprised.”

Kakashi always spoke in a way that made Iruka nervous. It was like he was holding onto a ledge and Kakashi’s hand was just barely out of reach.

“Is it really so surprising?” He kept his voice down as his eyes remained on the tearful brothers.  
“Yes, it is… Sometimes I wonder if you choose the path of pain on purpose.”  
“It feels like you think this is painful for me in a way that isn’t in the sense of a loss.”

He would have jumped normally, when Kakashi put a hand around his waist. Instead his turned his gaze towards the other, only to have a pair of lips move closer to his ear. He wasn’t prepared for what Kakashi would whisper to him: “You think you’re the only one burdened by a secret that shouldn’t be told, but even in this room, there are people more cruel then you think yourself to be.”

It was shocking because it felt like he was completely transparent, was he? He had slowly felt the other’s hand moving from his waist but Iruka couldn’t move his gaze from Kakashi’s face. What exactly did the other mean? There was barely anyone in this room. There were barely ten people in the room, and most were there in support of Itachi or Sasuke.

“Kakashi, you shouldn’t flirt with my sensei, at a funeral.” Iruka’s eyes quickly landed on Naruto, a confused look on his face, evident.   
“Maa, he’s cute, I couldn’t resist.” Couldn’t resist? This was not what had been happening, but it’s not like he could clarify anything to Naruto, and with the way Kakashi was sheepishly rubbing the back of his head he knew he couldn’t say anything.

**Thursday**

The funeral had been an unwelcomed addition to his week, finals were just around the corner, and then summer vacation would make its way into his soul and he would sleep and not do anything for at least a week. If anyone had told him that this would have been the outcome of his last semester as a teacher, he would have told them they were mistaken. Oh, that was right, this was the last time he would stand in a classroom, and he was leaving.

“Alright class, tomorrow is the last day to give in your final papers for the year. Exams are next week on Friday, you’ve known this for months. I just wanted to take a moment before we part, to say how proud I am of each and every one of you, and congratulations you’ve made it.”

The eruption of cheer that followed, warmed his heart it really had. He would absolutely miss doing this kind of work, but Iruka had decided early in the first semester that he would only complete the year and resign. There were some things in his life that he desperately needed to finish and it meant that he absolutely needed the freedom that came with being jobless. As he stood at the door, gently wishing his students goodbye he felt fulfilled.

“Iruka-sensei.”  
“Sukea-sensei.” It was this thing again, Kakashi wearing a mask, a different identity, a bubbly unrefined, character who just was not anything like the man, Kakashi presented himself as.   
“I heard you like to let your students take Friday off as a surprise before exams.”  
“I do, yes. Keeps the morale going.” He was now turning to grab his things, taking a quick look into his now almost bare classroom. He had been slowly removing things, just so that today would be easier.   
“Grab dinner with me.”  
“With you?” He knew what question was hanging between them and the other shrugged sheepishly.   
“All of me, because going with half of me could put you in a dangerous game of chance.”  
“What are we doing, Ka-Sukea?”  
“We’re grabbing dinner.”

It shouldn’t have been this easy for his self-preservation to crumble. Hatake Kakashi should not have been his kryptonite, yet there they were, together, having diner again.

“Are we friends Kakashi?”  
“I hope so, who else is going to endure me?”  
“A lot of people would, I imagine.”  
“But they’re not you, are they?”

He always did this, causing silences between them. How was Iruka supposed to accept this as an answer? Kakashi always walked a fine line between friendships and flirting, it put Iruka on edge. This restaurant was expensive, and it was private, there was no one else but them in this room. It felt like the perfect time to ask what Kakashi had meant at the funeral.

“I’m not going to answer that question.” There was a stern attribute to Kakashi’s voice, something confusing and outright wrong.   
“What makes you so sure that you know what I’m about to ask?” Really what made him so certain, maybe they weren’t even on the same page- was he really so easy to read?  
“Then ask, but I won’t answer.”  
“Why do you keep making Naruto think you’re flirting with me?” He had switched questions in hopes of throwing a curve ball at the silver haired man.  
“Because I am, that is, flirting with you.” He couldn’t help but shake his head.  
“You know that’s not what I mean.”  
“Actually I think you don’t know what I mean.”

He hated playing this game with Kakashi. The other was always coming out on top, he was quicker minded, and uncaring about spewing really out of this world stories. Iruka never had any real idea as to what was going on in the other’s head. He knew it was something he took for granted with everyone else in his life, but really Kakashi didn’t need to be such an enigma.

“Can’t you just be upfront for once?”  
“For you, anything.”  
“What did you mean at the funeral?”  
“Anything, does not include that.”

He had been just about to retort, when a loud ringing sound pierced through the room. Kakashi apologized as he answered his phone. By the look on the other’s face it seemed like the news wasn’t pleasant and Iruka really didn’t need anything else to go wrong right now.

“Rhetorical question, but have you ever been inside a police station?”

Kakashi had absolutely refused to let him know what was going on, except that they were going to a police station. Iruka, to this day still dreaded them. They were a casual reminder of the worst years of his life, where he had done everything wrong. So when they were walking up the steps it felt like time had slowed to a stop. He always felt so out of place and uncomfortable when he was right in front of those doors. When they were inside, Kakashi moved to the front of the reception area, and Iruka had barely caught anything that had been said. They were taken into an office where, surprisingly Iruka was greeted by an old student of his, Detective Nara Shikamaru.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, processing things is a pain.”  
“Processing… has someone been arrested?” He mostly asked Kakashi, because he still had no idea what they were doing here.  
“What’s your relation to Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha?” Before he could answer, Kakashi spoke up and it was like a bomb was dropped into his lap.   
“Umino Iruka is their legal guardian, as per mandated at the death of Uchiha Madara, I’m an uncle.” He watched as Kakashi pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket, and he could only sit in disbelief, he was their legal guardian?  
“The paper work checks out… Iruka-sensei… what I’m about to say is bothersome- I mean Uchiha Itachi didn’t make it through the incident. We’re not charging Sasuke, as it seems, according to the footage and witness testimony that Itachi snapped, we’re confident this was self-defence. Again I’m sorry for your loss.”

Uchiha Itachi was dead, and Sasuke had killed him. Except it was more complicated than that, but even that information was falling on deaf ears. Iruka had lost Itachi, and now Sasuke carried a burden much too great. He was in a daze, and so it was fine is Kakashi wanted to guide him around, because he was not in any capacity to do anything but stare, and if he spoke he was afraid he would break.

The story went as follows, Naruto had been sitting with Sasuke at the dinner table, both of them trying to plan seating arrangements. Something Naruto said was helping Sasuke forget about Madara’s death. Apparently Itachi was being restless, and it sounded as if he was on the phone. It would be later shown that he was speaking to himself. Itachi had moved into the kitchen, and had asked if they had heard a sound. Both the two boys sitting at the table had exclaimed that no they hadn't. That was when Itachi grabbed the knife, and a blur of movements ensued next. Itachi lunged for Naruto, which made Sasuke react. They were struggling with the knife, and in a split second, and one wrong twist, the knife was planted in Itachi’s heart. Sasuke had crumbled and Naruto had tried his best to save the elder Uchiha brother, it was too late. Sasuke had confirmed that Itachi had seemed to be in a trance, and had shouted the names of the attackers from the night of the massacre. It seemed as if whatever had been holding Itachi together had expired, and he had broken down in the worse way possible. It was raining now, in all their hearts.


	6. Flowers & Flashbacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past haunts more then just Iruka, it's time for the truth.

** Chapter 6: Flowers & Flashbacks **

Iruka was proud of Naruto and Sasuke. He even might have cried a little as their signed their marriage registry and he and Kakashi witnessed the elopement. There was a big void in his life now, Itachi was gone, and his two other friends had grown up. They would always need him, and he was Sasuke’s official legal guardian but, they were on their way to building their own life, he was proud. Itachi’s death had come with a lot of surprises for Iruka. Half of Itachi’s fortune had gone to him, the other of course going to Sasuke. He had tried to decline, but the older Uchiha had put in really detailed clauses, Iruka couldn’t decline. Then there was the letter, a comfort but, also a stark realization that Iruka had been terribly wrong.

_Dear Iruka,_

_If you’ve received this letter, I am deceased, before you. The unfortunate reality of life is that sometimes you can feel just how fleeting it is. Those were the first words you’d spoken to me. I was an overwhelmed young adult, trying to raise a brother, trying to pretend I was okay, and there you arrived. They were simple words, and you were a blessing to my family._

_Two years after knowing you, I’d asked Madara to make you our legal guardian, in case of his death. He’d agreed too easily, and so I searched to find out why. I’m sorry I’ll never be able to apologize to your face, about what my family has done to you. I’m apologetic for the wrong doings that were done, because of my birth. But I need you to understand, that I know you’ve forgiven me. I live a little easier with that knowledge._

_The truth is that the massacre haunts me, and it brings me to a place where I feel vulnerable and helpless. I know one day I won’t be able to be strong any longer. I hope that when that time comes, you’ll forgive me. I’ll need to be forgiven for many things. Let’s meet again someday, in a better life. At least you’ll deserve the peace that it comes with._

_With sincere admiration_

_Uchiha Itachi_

He had always known the truth that Iruka had been trying too hard to hide, and yet he had allowed Iruka to continue hiding it, as if he hoped it brought him peace. Even from his spot on his bed, as his thoughts were distracted, he could see that the flowers that Kakashi had gifted him were wilted and decomposing on his table, but he couldn’t manage to get himself up and out of bed. The Uchiha’s had in a matter of day’s crumbled down to 3 living survivors, and yet why was he the one that was unable to function?

He wanted to understand why everything was just going to such bad extremes in his life. Could he ever possibly have a turn around? Was that not in the cards for him?

“Now before you get angry with me, I’ve only been here for five minutes, and blame Naruto for asking me to do this.”  
“I knew you were here, Kakashi.”

He had noticed Kakashi enter his apartment, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t heard the familiar sound of his door unlocking. He knew that typically if it was Naruto, a loud shout would have accompanied the entrance. He had barely glanced at his door, when he had spotted the now more familiar color of hair, and he had known instantly, that it was Kakashi. Here he was wallowing in pity for himself, and the last person he thought he would see was in his home.

“I heard you’re not going to be teaching any longer. Why didn’t you say anything?”  
“I decided that a long time ago, this was it for me.”  
“Why? It’s… your whole life.”  
“There’s somethings I need to be doing.”  
“Do you want to share or are you going to keep keeping secrets that everyone already knows?”

Sometimes Kakashi’s words stung, a reminder that he wasn’t as good at keeping his problems to himself. He had never wanted Itachi to have that burden, or Sasuke. It just kept feeling like all the control he had thought he had was slipping from his fingers and then there was Kakashi, an unpredictable number ruining all his calculations.

“Why do you care, exactly, Kakashi?”  
“The flowers are dead.”  
“Mhmm… they look like how I feel.”

He was acting like he was pathetic, laid out on his bed, his eyes glued to the ceiling. Why was he letting Kakashi see him like this? There wasn’t anywhere he could run, his home was an apartment and it was a studio, there were no places his grief could hide. Kakashi’s gaze felt like hot flames, it was intense, and Iruka was not about to pay it any attention. The other always had such a presence, a strong gaze, and Iruka could always feel just how closely Kakashi paid attention to things. This is where they seemed to differ, Iruka only knew of things once they were too late, and Kakashi on the other hand could have written a book about you within minutes of your meeting him.

“Its 1am.”  
“I just got off work.”  
“It’s inappropriate.”  
“We’re both adults.”   
“Stop arguing with me.”  
“I’m not arguing with you Iruka, I’m worried about you.”

Ironic, that Kakashi was worried about him, when Iruka was peeved off that he couldn’t help but worry about Kakashi. Who worked until this late at night? Wasn’t Kakashi taking care of himself? No other Uchiha’s could die, it would devastate him, and Sasuke. He couldn’t live with himself if Kakashi would die next. No, he couldn’t be thinking like this, he barely knew the other, he had had a vulnerable moment around the other, but that didn’t mean they were acquaintances. Iruka knew barely nothing about the other, and so how could he allow himself to care this much?

His gaze was hyper focused on the ceiling now, because he didn’t want to think about the answer to his own question. He was worried, about the outcome. Iruka couldn’t let himself be this fickle.

“You’ll always be beautiful to me.”  
“Huh?”

That was an odd phrase to hear out of the blue, so much so that Iruka couldn’t help but sit up. He was groggy from not having moved for most of the day, and yet his gazed turned to see something he hadn’t expected. Hatake Kakashi was wearing a suit, his tie seemed slightly undone, and he was gently grasping the flowers that were on Iruka’s small kitchen table. Iruka noticed that his blazer was hanging on one of his chairs, and the man had a slight sadness in his eyes. Of course he was sad, Iruka was an idiot, and he felt selfish, of course Kakashi was just as sad as him.

“Itachi was a beautiful soul.”  
“The flowers, they mean, that you’ll always be beautiful to me.”  
“They’re dead.”  
“Exactly- in whatever shape or form you come in, in whatever emotion you’re enthralled in, Iruka, you’ll always be beautiful to me.”  
“You’re being absurd, Kakashi.”

He hadn’t expected this kind of conversation to happen between them. They were barely anything but strangers. It was in that precise moment he saw in Kakashi’s eyes, his movements such determination that it confused him. He couldn’t even move, barely even breathe as Kakashi walked towards him, and grabbed him by the shoulders. He hadn’t been prepared to feel the other’s lips on his own, or to have his body pulled so that it was leaning up against the other. His fingers were shaking, his eyes were open wide, and yet he didn’t want this moment to stop. It felt so familiar, and yet so lost on him. His trembling hand moved to grip the others shirt, as both of their lips parted slowly.

“I’ve been in love with you for years, and you’ve forgotten all about me.”

That was the phrase Kakashi had parted from him with, left him alone, after daring to take his breath away. Who the hell was Hatake Kakashi and why did he think they knew each other well enough to be in love? Yet, somehow, Iruka’s own heart was telling him it was true. He couldn’t remember and now as he stared at the door, from which Kakashi had left, he felt empty.

It had been a week since the incident. He had tried to call Kakashi, get in touch with him, only to be ignored. He had called Naruto, as well, to let him know he hadn’t appreciated the key exchanged without his knowledge. Sasuke and he had sounded so happy on their honeymoon, and it made Iruka just a little happier then he thought it would. It gave him hope that he too would be okay, he supposed. However he needed to see Kakashi before he left, he couldn’t leave things the way there were. So he was more or less surprised when a car pulled up next to him on the street, the window rolling down to reveal the one and only Kakashi.

“Get in the car, Iruka.”  
“You have a serious lack of manners.” He grumbled at the older man, while still moving to get into the other’s vehicle.   
“I was at a conference, I just got back in town. How was your last day as a sensei?”

Iruka wanted to believe that Kakashi was just making polite conversation with him, because they were in a moving vehicle and it was a safety thing. Because he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Kakashi get away with kissing him at one in the morning and not to mention that weird semi confession. That was not going to fly with him.

“It was fine. How was your conference?”  
“I hate those things.”

Was it always this awkward after you kissed a relative stranger, and got into their car? He needed to stop calling Kakashi a stranger, which was actually an unfair portrayal of how long they had known each other for. Which according to Kakashi had been much longer then Iruka could even remember.  If he could be honest, he could forgive the kiss, but he needed to know about that more than anything else. They kissed, they kissed, so what? Was it nice, sure? Would it be nice if it happened again, yes? Would Iruka push Kakashi about it, yes of course he was, who did he think he was? Except, Iruka had no idea where Kakashi was taking him. The scenery was changing at a rapid pace, and Iruka realized he never came to this part of town.

“Where are we going?”  
“My home… it’s a little less cramped then your apartment.”  
“Yes thanks, I too like my shitty studio apartment.”  
“I didn’t need your neighbors hearing this.”  
“My neighbors can’t hear me.”  
“Yes they absolutely can, since they mentioned it to me.”

Oh great, another horrible realization hitting him in the face. Could this month get any worse? Actually he was better off not asking that. When Kakashi had said, a little less cramped, Iruka had imagined a condo, something like a presidential suite, with the fancy elevator that goes straight up to your floor, which is your house. What he had not expected was an actual house. It was a small house, but it was house. He was in awe of how modest yet charming it seemingly looked. Which is why he had let Kakashi pull him into the house, and he hadn’t really said a thing about it.

The house was clean, in a way that put hospitals to shame. It felt as if everything was in it’s place for a reason, and it almost felt as if the house was a show piece. It didn’t feel like a home, it felt like a house, and somehow that made Iruka a little bit sad. The kitchen was so clean Iruka could see himself reflected in the surfaces, and then he wondered if Kakashi was actually okay.

“You really don’t remember me?” It was spoken as a whisper, but it caught Iruka’s attention.   
“I mean no one had ever seen your face before. I’d had heard your name from my students but, you’re the one that kept yourself hidden.”  
“I don’t exactly do a stellar job at keeping hidden if you hadn’t noticed. I just said I went to conference. Hundreds of people saw my face, people see me every day.”  
“But they don’t know your name, so they don’t know it’s you.” There was a bit of exasperation seeping into both of their tone of voice, and Iruka couldn’t help but let out a breath of frustration.  
“This isn’t about my face anyways, this is about you not remembering me Ruka.”

Ruka? Kakashi had just called him Ruka, he didn’t know anyone who called him Ruka. He knew he was frowning, and looking at the ground, but really that didn’t seem to make sense to him. Who was Ruka? Was Kakashi mistaking him for someone else?

“That’s it, you’re going to sit down and listen to me. If you won’t remember, I’ll just tell you.” He was ushered to a sofa, and made to sit down as Kakashi hovered over him. It made the situation feel oddly tense, but Iruka listened as the other began to speak.

**Kakashi’s Retelling**

Hatake Kakashi was the only Uchiha in the family whose last name was not Uchiha. He always wondered if it was because his mother didn’t want him to have to share in that burden, but it had made him feel a bit like an outcast at times. As he was getting older it was striking a nice balance between independence and family, he was grateful. However this, the celebration of Christmas was not his favorite activity. He preferred spending time by himself, reading books, and here he couldn’t exactly do that. Every Christmas was exactly the same. Obito and him would steal some of the alcohol and spike the punch, they would then steal the pie to eat for themselves, and then get caught and get scolded. Once they were caught they would be told to take care of Itachi and Sasuke, and then the rest of their night would be playing with their nephews.

But the Uchiha estate never looked this lively, it was usually an unwelcoming, quiet house. As if the ghosts of the past haunted it. He supposed it was the perfect place for what it was used for; a once a year gathering of all living Uchiha’s. They were all such wealthy people in one room, yet, no one could have guessed as much if they had just seen them. It was moments like these that he was thankful for, where he could just lean against a wall and see his family engulfed in the season’s joy. If you’d ask him personally he would have said he hated this, but no one needed to know that was a lie.

“Uncle Kashi, play with me.”

Except, no one would remember the joy every again, and he would never forget what he’d seen. A flood of bullets, and blood splatter. Sasuke was the first one they had shot, he knew he had to have screamed. He watched shell shocked as everyone went down around him and then he was hitting the ground. He couldn’t feel anything and he couldn’t see, so he just closed his eyes and waited for death. The next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital, with his face covered by gauze. They had managed to save the integrity of the eye but, he’d never be able to see from it again, at least that’s what they had told him.

Police had come to take his statement, and that’s when he had first noticed a brunette boy walking around, looking for someone. As the days passed, he was brought to court to testify, they had wanted him to go first because he would make the best emotional plea. Right after that was when his hair had started turning white. The reality of it hitting him like a truck. Obito had survived and was doing well, so was Sasuke. Madara had come out like a champion but Itachi had been severely wounded and they didn’t know if he would come out of his coma with brain damage or a disability.

They were all lucky that in the end that they had all come out almost as good as new. Kakashi had regained partial sight in his eye, and Itachi only had a bit of numbness in his fingers, but they were alive. It took months before Kakashi would be let go from the hospital. But the important part that he couldn’t forget was the brunette boy who sat next to his bed for days as he did nothing but cry. The other boy held his hand, fed him, and brushed his hair, talking about how the hair color reminded him of a wolf’s fur. Kakashi never spoke, he just let the boy talk about himself, and it was soothing.

“I’m sorry about what happened to your family.”  
“How do you know?”  
“I was testifying against them in another trial.”  
“Then why are you sorry?”  
“Because you’re not responsible for what someone else has done.”

It was silent between them for a while after that, and soon after Kakashi had been notified that he could return home. He had no home left, and he knew once the nurse had spoken that she had regretted her words, so he just shrugged it away. The last time he saw the brunette was the day the killers were convicted of killing his family, and that was a day he’d remember forever.

“I brought you some flowers. Sunflowers to brighten up your room.”  
“They usually mean you wish lasting happiness onto someone.”  
“Huh… right well… that’s true. Oh I’m Iruka, by the way.”  
“Kakashi.”


	7. Goodbye.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye.

** Chapter 7: Goodbye **

Kakashi had from that moment on poured his entire soul into creating a business. He in his own right had attained wealth in an unimaginable way. He offered protective services, after all they lived in a dangerous world, and people were always willing to pay to be safe. He just wanted to create a world where people would never have to experience the pain he had. He had also unintentionally created a persona for himself in which people claimed he never would show his face. At first he thought it was ridiculous, but as time passed and he realized that people though he wasn’t Kakashi, that he was just some stand in, he wondered what else he could do.

This was around the time he brought to life Sukea, and it was thanks to this persona that he had encountered who he hoped was Iruka. Somehow they had ended up in the same class at the University, he was surprised to find out the other had wanted to become a teacher. It had been so long since they had seen each other and still Kakashi had recognized the other instantly. The other still seemed to keep his hair in the exact same way, and his smile hadn’t changed. Don’t get him wrong, Kakashi still had doubts, until he had seen Itachi approach the other, and that was when he was absolutely certain, that was the same Iruka.

You see his injury had left him with a slight sensitivity to light and a random onslaught of headaches. That meant frequent visits to the hospital as he was trying to get used to living with the issues that plagued him. Sometimes out of the corner of his eyes he would catch a glimpse of the brunette, and his heart would flutter. It went on for years, and then he had walked in on a fight that would change his life. There was shouting, it was loud and angry, and he recognized one of the voices as a stern Madara. He was cautious as he made his way towards the commotion and that was where he saw a teary-eyed Iruka, shakenly confronting Madara.  

The shocking truth, that Madara had killed the Uchiha’s responsible for Iruka’s family’s death. That Madara was the reason why Obito’s testimony had been recanted, because the family members were dead. That Iruka had allowed the court to dismiss charges on Madara, because he had saved Iruka, but also killed his own family. Iruka looked torn up, and still angry. Kakashi was sure that this wasn’t the justice that Iruka had wanted, or the closure that he had needed. How was he supposed to be friendly with the brunette if the other still seemed to be angry about his own family?

It was a little shocking to find out more about Umino Iruka. He had been sly, asking Sasuke who the man in the photo on the wallpaper of his phone was. Sasuke had been more than happy to spill everything he could about the most wonderful human being he knew. However the more and more he listened to Sasuke and even Itachi speak about Iruka, the more he realized that the crush he had had on the boy who had helped him in the hospital was growing. Kakashi knew it was unfair to project that kind of thing onto someone else, so he made sure to keep his distance. He lived and breathed his aloof persona of never showing his face. Yet everything would crumble that day in the supermarket.

The last time he had seen Umino Iruka, it was in his University class. It had been a long time now, he was in his thirties, the other in his late twenties. They had grown up, and yet standing in that supermarket Kakashi knew he couldn’t stop himself. He wanted to tell the other not to talk to him in such a friendly manner, but Kakashi was selfish, everything about this was selfish, he just couldn’t stop himself.

Then he had held Iruka in his arms as the other cried, it had hurt but he hadn’t wanted to let go. He thought if he had given the other flowers that it would allow him to draw the line and let it go. To let go of his stupid feelings, which he was forcing onto the other’s existence, except it had made it worse. Kakashi couldn’t help himself, and even then he kept inviting him to diner, the other always saying yes. Then he thought he would lose him, when Madara and Itachi passed, and that’s when every ounce of self-control Kakashi had melted. He was deeply in love with Iruka and there was nothing else he could do about it.

Except Naruto had begged him to check in on Iruka because no one else could. Kakashi had avoided it as much as he could, it was right to dump all of this on the other. The other was already a mess and yet, he hadn’t allowed himself to be a rational human being, and he’d kissed him. The other had been sad, and he had kissed him, Kakashi was a horrible man. He was cruel to do that to the other, to kiss him like that. It was worse because Iruka had gone on with his life with seemingly no thoughts about him, and yet Kakashi had been plagued by the other man for years.

They were in different places and it wasn’t right, it wasn’t okay, but why didn’t he regret it? Why couldn’t he apologize, why did he again avoid the other. He made an excuse as he had picked up the other from the side of the road. He had brought him to his house, and had recanted the secret that Kakashi had kept to himself for years. Again he was being unfair to Iruka, and by the look on the other man’s face, he was about to endure the worse rejection of his life.

He had told the other everything. Every little encounter, every thought, every interaction and he could tell that the other’s brain was slowly piecing together everything. He was weaving a tapestry of memories and altering Iruka’s own life by design. He hadn’t lied, but he knew it was going to make the other confused and see Kakashi as some type of stalker. But he swore he had never followed the other or tried to gather information purposely. Sasuke and Itachi had been a mistake, he shouldn’t have had asked, but once it was done it was too late. Everything else had been per chance and he didn’t want to be that kind of person anymore. He didn’t want to pretend that the other hadn’t impacted his life, he wanted to be free from himself.

“All this time… and I forgot… how could I?”  
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”  
“Kakashi, I set out to help the Uchiha’s and yet I left you.”  
“Not really… I’m a Hatake technically it was an easy mistake to make.”  
“You’re in love with me.”  
“Ma... well… I couldn’t help falling in love with you.”  
“Why tell me all of this now?”  
“Because this is goodbye Iruka.”

That’s right. Kakashi had decided that this would be his goodbye. The other didn’t deserve to have him hovering around, with expectations that he shouldn’t have made in the first place. It was only fair that he be the one who left, after all it was his feelings he was projecting onto the other. It had been a difficult enough decision for him. That’s why he could barely look at the brunette, even if he was hovering over him. He knew he was already overly invested in a man that barely knew him, and that was just how the cookie crumbled.


	8. Here we are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka wished he could start over, right from the beginning so that things would be different.

** Chapter 8: Here we are **

“You think you just get to leave after telling me this?”  
“As opposed to staying and burdening you with my feelings? Yes I think I do.”

Iruka didn’t want to admit that he had gone through everything and forgotten about the first person he’d taken care of that day in the hospital. It had been a pretty massive wakeup call when he had first interacted with Kakashi and saw just how vulnerable he was. That was the day Iruka had let go of all his anger, and pain and allowed himself to realize that others had suffered too.

Iruka had been in a lot of pain from the loss of his own family, Madara had then shown up and thrown his life into an endless pit of turmoil and yet Iruka hadn’t been able to let it go. Even as he was moving on with his life he was always a little bit angry inside, until he had seen the after math of the Uchiha’s. He had been devastated, because he could see himself in those killers. They had gotten revenge on a name from people who had destroyed them. Iruka couldn’t help but think, that it could have been him. He could have walked in that Christmas and done the unspeakable.

The news had played off the massacre as a coincidence, a botched robbery, but Iruka knew they were most likely someone like him, with nothing to lose. If it hadn’t been for the judge and the time he spent trying to better himself, to allow himself to feel the pain, he could have been the one responsible. Thankfully, seeing the pain the Uchiha’s had suffered had been his come to reality moment, and he had let everything inside him go. Yet the one boy who had forced that revelation upon him, he had simply forgotten he existed. That boy was an adult now, standing in front of him confessing that he was in love.

“I’m sorry to burden you one last time with this Iruka.”  
“Just goes to show that I always forget the most important things.”  
“That’s not your fault.”  
“Trust me, it is.”

The silence was deafening, and uncomfortable. Iruka wished he could start over, right from the beginning so that things would be different. He wondered to himself if it was even possible that it would have made a difference. The truth being that he thought he had been doing everyone a service when instead everyone had been protecting him. He had been walking blindly in life, trying to give everyone a second chance and the truth was that people had been shielding him. Now there was the matter at hand, Hatake Kakashi. Someone who seemed to have fallen in love with a version of him, and who was now trying to shield him again by leaving.

“If you’re the one leaving maybe you shouldn’t have brought me to your house…”  
“I’m not afraid of being here with you, right now.”  
“Can we start over?” Iruka didn’t have much to start over from, they had just in his mind became friends, but he knew he was asking a lot because Kakashi had known him his whole life. So Iruka continued speaking as Kakashi remained quiet, watching him:   
“I don’t even have amnesia but I forgot about you. That’s on me, not on you. I think it’s only fair to give whatever this could be a shot. You saw something in me, won’t you let me see if I see something in you?”

It was quiet and they were just staring at each other, but Iruka could tell that Kakashi was thinking deeply. Because the other couldn’t even seem to focus on him, he was lost in his own mind.

“I don’t think I could forget almost ten years of memories.”  
“Then a partial restart? When you first met me I was a teenager, just forget about that. I’ve changed, what exactly do you know about me now?”

Kakashi had narrowed his eyes for a moment, and the next things that were spoken out loud shocked Iruka. “You love teaching, but you’ve given it up so as to finish resolving everything that’s been plaguing you for the past couple of years. Because even though you have no resentment, no hatred of any kind left for the Uchiha’s- you’re lonely. You, Umino Iruka, are now feeling all alone, and even the thing you love the most in this world, helping others is leaving you empty. You love everyone deeply, and they leave you in the end, because that’s what happens to people like you. Kind people, who give everything without expecting anything in return. It hurts you, and yet you still smile. No one knows how to help you because even if your eyes are crying out for help, you won’t take their hands. If you think I can’t read you like a book, as if I don’t know what you’re pretending to be, and if you think I can forget that, you’re mistaken. I am in love with you, and the deepest parts of you. I’ve seen you at your worse Iruka, I just need to let you go if you won’t let me lift you up until your head is out from under the water and you can breathe again. ”

Iruka hadn’t thought it was possible for someone to so adequately describe him. He had never once thought someone had seen through his façade. This person who hid from the world, had unravelled him, and was standing in front of Iruka, telling him to take his hand or to accept his goodbye. To jump into the water and hope that they would float together. Yet they were somehow strangers to each other, was that a risk he was willing to take? Was he willing to live his life in uncertainty or wonder for the rest of his days if goodbye had been the right decision?

Who was Hatake Kakashi to ask for all or nothing from him? How could he with such assurance believe that he could save Iruka from drowning when he practically didn’t even exist? The worse part in all of this, was that Iruka knew that he couldn’t say no. When he had first thought of Kakashi being his type, he hadn’t for a second thought he would be that in every single way. He was impulsive, annoying, flirty, handsome, and right, oh man was he ever just so right.

“Sounds like you want to get married.”  
“I have nothing better to do right now.”  
“You’re joking.” Iruka said with some disbelief in his voice.  
“We have so many flowers.”  
“You’re joking.” Again, Iruka couldn’t believe this guy.  
“A lot of flowers.”  
“A joke.”  
“Time, you have a lot of that now too.”

They had a lot of flowers, and apparently Obito was more than happy to marry them off to each other. That’s right, as if things couldn’t get any more absurd, Iruka had went and married Kakashi. That was one way of starting over right? Kakashi could be really convincing, and Iruka wasn’t hard to convince. So somehow here he was married to someone who loved him, but who he barely knew. Word to the wise, don’t try this at home, it won’t end well most of the time.

“You married me.”  
“Yeah… Why did I do that?”  
“I’m irresistible.”  
“Naruto and Sasuke are going to kill me.”  
“The most likely scenario is that they kill me. Since they think I’m a perverted old man.”  
“And you are! Don’t get that twisted for even a minute.”

Kakashi was smiling directly at him, and Iruka couldn’t speak. He couldn’t remember a single time that Kakashi had smiled since they had met. In fact he was starting to think the other only had two emotional settings, annoyed and blank. But no, here they were and Kakashi was smiling, smiling at him nonetheless. He was trying not to look, what was wrong with that guy, he wasn’t allowed to spring that on him. Out of the corner of his eye, Iruka, could see Kakashi just sitting there looking peaceful while smiling some more, and his traitorous heart was pounding against his chest. This wasn’t fair, how could this one person have that much of an effect on him? Iruka hadn’t signed up for a spontaneous love connection.

“Hatake Iruka.”  
“I didn’t change my last name…”

He’d messed up, because his voice had come out strained and this had made Kakashi tilt his head to the side, an almost devilish expression gracing the other’s features.

“We could get that fixed.”  
“No thanks I like my last name.”  
“Umino-Hatake Iruka.”  
“I don’t need a hyphenated name!”

Iruka was getting a bit angrier as Kakashi insisted, especially as the other kept a grin plastered on his face. Couldn’t he tell that Iruka was flustered!? That he didn’t want to talk about this, that he had already pushed himself hard enough? Just as he was about to ask what the other’s deal was, Kakashi spoke: “You’re cute when you’re angry.”

So here they were, both of them just staring at each other, the house quiet, empty, a new dilemma pushed to the back of their heads. Iruka’s heart was being unreasonable, and they were supposed to have restarted, taken this slow, not jumped into the deep end, and gotten married. Iruka was a rational adult man, and Kakashi- Kakashi made his brain feel like mush and his mind just screamed to go with it, just let yourself fall and drown in this adventure.

“Here we are.” Iruka whispered mostly to himself.  
“Here we are.” He received back from Kakashi as he watched the other stand up and walk towards him.  
“Welcome home, Iruka.”

His heart had stopped beating for a mere second and when Kakashi pulled him into his arms, Iruka knew that this was going to be a long journey, but one he was okay with making. Except if he thought for a moment that things were about to be more simple, his eyes opened mid-hug to be reminded that Hatake Kakashi was a CEO billionaire whose identity was hidden from the world, and Iruka was stepping right into that.


End file.
